Family History, Tooth Chart 0400 Edwin Tooth and Kate Walden Dacombe

This chart has developed into something a little different from a lot of the charts on this Web Site. My main interest is of course Kate Walden Dacombe as this Web Site is mainly about the Dackombe/Dacombe families, but I then found she was killed in the Second World War in East Grinstead along with her husband and 106 other people making it the worst civilian single event death toll in Sussex for the entire war. I have tried to put together the information to be found on the Web about this event. The majority of deaths occurred in the Whitehall Cinema in London Road, but the string of bombs dropped ended at the Tooth's Stationers in the High Street where Edwin and Kate lived.
Although there were fierce fires caused by the bombs in London Road, no fires occurred in the High Street, so today it retains most of it buildings. There are accounts and pictures below this chart showing the terrible events of that day in 1943.

1901 High Street, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1911 Tudor House East Grinstead, Sussex.. With the family was a Frederick TOOTH aged 56 a Brother born East Grinstead, Sussex a Stationer. 1943 TOOTH Edwin of Tudor House High-street East Grinstead Sussex died 10 July 1943 at Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital East Grinstead Probate Llandudno 25 October to Barclays Bank Limited. Effects £4968 4s. 8d. (National Probate calendar) 1943 The CGWC Site memorial States In Memory of Civilian Kate Walden Tooth Civilian War Dead who died on 10 July 1943 Aged 82 of Forest View, High Street. Husband of Kate Walden Tooth. Injured 9 July 1943 at Forest View; died at Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital. Remembered with Honour East Grinstead, Urban District 1943 TOOTH Edwin of Tudor House High-street East Grinstead Sussex died 10 July 1943 at Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital East Grinstead Probate Llandudno 25 October to Barclays Bank Limited. Effects £4968 4s. 8d. (National Probate Calendar) 1871 8 St Andrew's Road, St Mary, Southampton, Hampshire. 1881 8 St Andrews Rd, Southampton, Hampshire. They had a Servant a Mary Ann KNIGHT aged 17 a General Servant Domestic born Lymington, Hampshire and a Nurse an Ellen CUNLIFFE aged 56 a Ladies Nurse born Wigan, Lancashire. 1891 41 and 42 High Street (Institution) Northwood Isle of Wight, Hampshire. Kate was a Dressmaker along with 54 young woman. It does not state what the institution was. It appears to be a Ladies Tailors as that is ditto's after everybody's name. There are several other positions such as Housekeeper, Clerk, Artist, Forewoman (lot of those) etc also listed. 1901 High Street, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1911 Tudor House East Grinstead, Sussex.. With the family was a Frederick TOOTH aged 56 a Brother born East Grinstead, Sussex a Stationer. Kate is down as having been married 10 years and having had four children three survive and one has died at the date of this Census. 1943 The CGWC Site memorial States In Memory of Civilian Kate Walden Tooth Civilian War Dead who died on 09 July 1943 Aged 76 of Forest View, High Street. Wife of Edwin Tooth. Injured at Forest View; died same day at Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital. Remembered with Honour East Grinstead, Urban District 1901 High Street, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1901 High Street, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1911 Tudor House East Grinstead, Sussex.. With the family was a Frederick TOOTH aged 56 a Brother born East Grinstead, Sussex a Stationer. 1901 High Street, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1911 Tudor House East Grinstead, Sussex.. With the family was a Frederick TOOTH aged 56 a Brother born East Grinstead, Sussex a Stationer. 1911 Tudor House East Grinstead, Sussex.. With the family was a Frederick TOOTH aged 56 a Brother born East Grinstead, Sussex a Stationer. Edwin and Kate were killed when East Grinstead was bombed in 1943, I have found the following on the Web at http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Sussex/EastGrinsteadWW2Civilian.html which gives the following description of the event and lists the people killed. EAST GRINSTEAD AIR RAID CASUALTIES 1943 AND 1944 East Grinstead is a market town in West Sussex, the most easterly town in the county. Being situated between London and the coast it became a potential target for the Luftwaffe. However until 1943 it had avoided any raids. On Friday 9th July a raid of Dornier 217 bombers crossed the coast at Hastings aiming for London and at 5.05 pm, late in the afternoon, the air raid sirens sounded in East Grinstead. By this stage of the war the country was used to the sirens sounding, they did not mean that a raid was specifically heading your way, just that it might. After nearly four years of war without a raid, the town saw no reason this one would be any different. About five minutes later one of the aircraft lost the others in cloud and , instead of continuing alone to London, decided to find a ‘target of opportunity’. This target was East Grinstead. After machine gunning a train at Lingfield the pilot followed the railway south until he found the town After circling twice the pilot dropped his stick of bombs on London Road and the High Street, then returned and machine gunned London Road, Railway Approach and a train nearing the station. At the Whitehall Cinema in London Road the main film was a comedy ‘I Married a Witch’. 184 people were inside watching the ‘B’ Picture, a western starring Hopalong Cassidy. This was more than might be expected on a Friday, but the day was wet and miserable and encouraged people to stay inside. Although the audience, which included many children, (some of them evacuees from London) were alerted that the sirens had sounded by a notice projected onto the screen, there was no immediate move to leave A few had started to go when both a 50 Kg and a 500Kg bomb pierced the cinema roof which split in two. The bombs were delayed action and there was an immediate and panicky rush for the exits with some people in the fronts seats able to escape safely. The violent detonation of the bombs then caused the building to collapse before most had a chance to move further. A 50kg bomb hit nearby at Bridgeland’s, an ironmongers. The shop had 500 gallons of paraffin in the cellar which exploded, together with another 50Kg bomb that exploded at Rice Brothers, next to Bridgeland’s and one at the Scotch Wool Shop This wrecked the parade of shops and caused the rear of Sainsbury’s (between Bridgeland’s and the cinema) to collapse. Another 50 Kg bomb exploded by the Wesleyan Church Hall in London Road and a pub, the Warwick Arms was also hit. In the High Street a 50 Kg bomb fell, but did not explode behind the National Provincial Bank, followed by another 50 Kg bomb on Brooker Brothers ( behind 18, High Street) and four 50 Kg bombs on Tooth’s the stationers, the latter two were next to each other on the Sidewalk. A final 50 Kb bomb fell at ‘Herontye’ but did not explode. This aircraft may be the one that crashed at Bletchingley, Surrey and was excavated in the 1970’s. The last person rescued alive was brought out at 7.10 pm. 108 people were killed and 235 were seriously injured. This was the largest loss of life in any air raid in the county. The majority were buried at East Grinstead Cemetery, Mount Noddy, East Grinstead. It has not proved possible to identify all those who died. A year later came the second attack, this was a V1 flying bomb that landed on Tuesday July 12th 1944. An RAF fighter was seen flying level with it, but it is not known whether it caused the V1 to crash. This time the town was luckier. The flying bomb fell at 7.30 am, when comparatively few people were about and although it caused serious damage including completing the destruction of Sainsburys, only 3 people died, although 38 ( in some accounts 41) were listed as injured. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth who were en route to a different appointment heard of this second attack and visited the town the same day. They talked to local officials in London Road. There are memorial tablets to both events in St Swithun’s parish church, East Grinstead. The one specifically for 1943 was paid for by the families of the victims listed on it. This is not a complete list of casualties. There is another small tablet for this raid and one for the V1 does not contain a list of names. The Latin inscription means ‘Death is the gate of life’. The inscription on the first tablet reads:- In Memory of all victims of enemy action in East Grinstead on July 9th 1943’ The following are listed on the tablet, this does not include everyone killed in the tragedy. ANGUS, Mildred ARNOLD Norman H BARRETT Doreen Joan BRACKPOOL Michael J BROOKER Frederick A BROWN Ivy A E CANDISH Annie E CHARLTON Richard H J COOMBER Joyce C CORVER Dorothy S EVANS Jean L FOTHERGILL Isabel FOTHERGILL Erica FOTHERGILL Mary GLADMAN Kathleen M GREENWOOD Mary E HECKFORD June A JAMES Lewis W JAMES Joyce H JAMES Kathleen LEPPARD Harold J LONG Frances M LONG Margaret LUXFORD Florence McCOLLUM Carol MATTHEWS Dorothy H MEADMORE Alice NYE Alice Maud PIDDLESDEN Harry R PRODGER Evelyn J ROBERTS Doris Isabel SAVAGE Ivy SLEIGHT Doris SLEIGHT Margaret D SMITH Ethel SMITH Herbert SOMERSET Grace STILLER Molly I L TOOTH Kate Born about 1876. Wife of Edwin Tooth, but originally a Miss Dackombe from Southampton. Lived at Forest View, High Street, East Grinstead. Injured at Forest View, 9th July. Died at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead the same day (The DACKOMBE in this case should really be spelt DACOMBE, comment by Terry, webmaster of this site) TOOTH Edwin Born about 1861 in East Grinstead. Husband of Kate Walden Tooth. Lived at Forest View (the newspaper report quoted the address as 'Tudor House'), High Street, East Grinstead. Injured at Forest View, 9th July. Died at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead on 10th July 1943. His family had been in the town for over 400 years. TWOGOOD Jessie E The tablet concludes with the inscription: 'I am the resurrection and the life' Compiled and copyright © John Harrison 2006 There is a description of each person on the list above, I have only shown the two people on my chart above. I have also found a site about Sussex Postcards, in it is the following paragraph In addition to real photographics, Harding published a series of halftone cards of East Grinstead, showing for example the High Street and the Literary and Scientific Institute. No postmarks have been reported. Some of his photographs also appear on halftone cards sold by F. & E. Tooth, who were stationers in the High Street. Though the pictures are labelled "F. & E. Tooth" in their lower right corners, some are also labelled "Harding", and it quite possible that Harding published the cards on behalf of the Tooths. He certainly supplied real photographic cards to H. Daniels, a stationer at 18 London Road. These cards are stamped "HARDING, photo, East Grinstead" in the usual way, but also "H.Daniels, Stationer, East Grinstead". Both the Tooth and Daniels cards have been found with 1904 postmarks. The London publisher, Wrench, also supplied Daniels with cards bearing Harding photographs. The blue line I have drawn across the picture shows the rough line the bomber took and dropped his bombs coming in over the Whitehall Cinema where the first bombs his and ending up over Brooker Brothers and neighbouring shops including Edwin Tooth's This is a picture of Tooth's the stationers taken around 1927 and taken from the Frith collection. It shows the shop as it was when Edwin and Kate were there: The only picture I can find of the result of the bombing is one of the Whitehall Cinema that have been extracted from The War in East Sussex which is then taken for the Sussex Express and County Herald, August 1945. It also show a scene of the burials the following day. I do thank all the various people who have put items on the Web which has allowed me to build this page

The idea of these charts is to give the information that we have found in the research we have done and put together and with the help of many other people who have contacted us over the past thirty odd years we have been researching our family. The idea is that you click on the Chart box in blue to be taken to the next family. There is now a large number of charts to be found and connections can be made to all the main families I am researching. If a chart has a box with the standard background it means that as yet I have not put the Chart on the Web.
To conform to the Data Protection Act all the Charts have been altered to exclude all details for living people other than the name.

If you have comments, alterations, corrections, amendments etc. please follow the details to be found on the Home Page to contact me.

3 Edwin John Stanley TOOTH born about March quarter 1897 East Grinstead Sussex baptised 18th April 1897 East Grinstead Sussex died December quarter 1901 East Grinstead district Sussex Aged 4	4 Frederick William TOOTH born about September quarter 1898 East Grinstead Sussex baptised 3rd July 1898 East Grinstead Sussex	5 Margaret Annie TOOTH born 26th August 1899 registered December quarter 1899 East Grinstead Sussex baptised 1st October 1901 East Grinstead Sussex died September quarter 1969 Uckfield district Surrey Aged 70 married June quarter 1935 Uckfield district Sussex Alfred H BONWICK	6 Dorothy Agnes TOOTH born 13th March 1907 registered June quarter 1907 East Grinstead Sussex died January 1997 Chiltern and South Bucks district Buckinghamshire Aged 89 married June quarter 1934 East Grinstead district Sussex Ronald JENNER

This is a Chart for Edwin Tooth and Kate Walden Dacombe